


Episode CIII

by SBlev92



Series: The Epilogue Trilogy [2]
Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Epilogue, F/M, Flashbacks, Post-Finale, Quests, Series Spoilers, Violence, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 09:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11010531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SBlev92/pseuds/SBlev92
Summary: As his visions of Ashi become more common, Jack and Rōjin make their way towards the jungle that is said to house the mystical Hall of Time, which will supposedly restore her to life. However, determined to unravel the duo's quest, the scheming Hikaru takes advantage of a mysterious revelation about Rōjin to divide the pair and ambush them. When Hikaru manages to gain control of the old wizard's magic amulet and its powers, he becomes a greater threat than ever before. Will Jack be able to fight off his own pursuers and return to his friend in time to stop the mad warrior, or does his final adventure end here?





	Episode CIII

**Disclaimer: _Samurai Jack_ and all related characters, locations, and events belong to Genndy Tartakovsky and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. I own nothing outside of a few original characters. I also understand that this work is intended for entertainment purposes on a free fanfiction site. I will see no profit from it whatsoever.**

Jack opened his eyes, to find himself in a bright cherry blossom forest. The air was warm, and the wind lapped his face with a pleasant breeze. It was the epitome of serenity. As Jack walked casually down the path ahead of him, he came upon a beautiful figure. Ashi, dressed in her green leaf dress, sat on the side of the path, smiling at a ladybug resting on her finger. When she saw Jack, she calmly let the bug go and stood up to greet him. 

“Jack, so good to see you again!” she said in a calm, kind voice.

“Ashi, is it really you?” Jack asked, embracing her.

“Of course it’s me! Who else would it be?”

“I mean, this. Could this be real? You, you’re gone.” Jack puzzled.

Ashi pulled him into a soft kiss. “Jack, I’m not completely gone. I live on through your love. As long as you remember me, I’ll never truly fade away. But you have to reach the temple, it’s the only way we’ll _really_ be together again.”

“I promise you, I will not rest until you are back with me.” Jack swore. “I…I cannot live without you.”

“I’ll be with you the whole way my love.” Ashi smiled. “Now, wake up. Jack, wake up.”

“Jack! Wake up!” Rōjin shouted, stirring Jack awake. The samurai set up on their makeshift raft and adjusted his eyes to the sunlight. All around him, he could see nothing but water. The two of them had been at sea for days; Rōjin had assured Jack on multiple occasions that they were indeed headed in the right direction, however Jack often questioned that by the distinct lack of any sign of land.

“Rise and shine Jack, it’s morning.” Rōjin said, handing him the oar. “It’s also your turn to row.” 

“How much further do we have to go?” Jack asked, reaching over to grab a piece of bread out of his pack. 

“Not much longer, I’d say if we keep at a good pace, we should make landfall by sundown.” Unbeknownst to them, the pair were being watched through a spyglass from a nearby boat. 

“Well, would you look what we’ve stumbled upon?” Hikaru said while his fellow Guardians rowed. “And what a rinkydink little raft, too! Too bad they don’t have actual boats like us!” 

“Uh, sir. We don’t actually _have_ boats.” One of his men said. “We just stole this one.” 

“Eh, ‘have’, ‘stole’, what’s the difference anymore?” Hikaru said. “Now enough blabber and quicken the pace. We’ll try and sink them!” 

“Sir.” The other crony said in a worried tone. “I just saw something move in the water.” 

“It’s the ocean you idiot, _it’s_ moving!” Hikaru said. 

“No, I saw something _under_ the water move!” he replied. Hikaru peeked over the edge of the boat and saw a large green mass swimming under them, and heading for Jack and Rōjin. 

“Ha ha! A sea monster hungry for wizard! This will be fun to watch!” Hikaru said, leaning forward on the vessel. 

“Sir, don’t lean on the-!” one of his men went to say before the boat flipped over forward, sending the three of them into the water. 

“Don’t lean on the boat.” He finished, the three poking their heads out of the water, irritated. Jack and Rōjin, still unaware of their pursuers, continued rowing across the water. The two were immediately jarred to a halt when they felt something nudge their raft. 

“Did you feel that?” Jack asked. Suddenly, eight enormous tentacles shot out of the water in front of them, followed by a wide, green body sporting a crocodile-like head. The creature glared down at its prey and let out a deafening roar. 

“Go!” Jack shouted, unsheathing his sword and leaping onto one of the monster’s tentacles. He ran up the tentacle towards the beast’s head, dodging its other limbs that tried to swat him off and actually impaling one. Rōjin did similar on the other side, except he was bombarding the beast’s face with lightning strikes. As a tentacle came down on Jack, he jumped up and with a single slice of his sword severed it. The creature let out a roar of pain, but unfortunately the tentacle immediately grew back. 

“Jack, this beast can regenerate!” Rōjin said. “We have to think of another way to destroy it!” 

“Sir, should we intervene?” One of Hikaru’s men asked. 

“Are you kidding!?” He replied. “This is front-row entertainment!” 

Without warning, the sea monster opened its mouth and hacked bile at Jack, at the same time bringing down a tentacle on Rōjin. The two simultaneously side-jumped out of the way towards each other; as their paths crossed, Jack did not notice until too late his sword slicing into Rōjin’s Achilles tendon. 

“Hmm…interesting.” Hikaru observed. Rōjin landed on a lower tentacle and grabbed his foot in pain. 

“Rōjin, are you alright?” Jack asked. 

“I’ll be fine.” The wizard replied, healing the wound with a white light from his palm. “Let’s just find a way to kill this thing!” 

“Up to the head!” Jack ordered. The two climbed their way up the monster onto its head and began stabbing and zapping the top of the beast’s skull. But, like with the tentacles, every wound they made healed instantly. 

“This is not working either!” Jack said. “There is no way to destroy this creature!” 

Rōjin glanced up at the sun and turned to Jack. “I have an idea, hold on!” The old man hopped off of the monster’s head and began running back to the raft. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Jack asked, fighting off a flurry of tentacles. 

“Trust me I know what I’m doing! Just get it to open its mouth!” Rōjin landed on the raft, closed his eyes, and raised his hands towards the sun. Jack meanwhile tried to comply with his request by climbing up the beast’s snout and hanging on the edge of its nose, encouraging it to snap at him furiously. 

“Jack, get it to _keep_ its mouth open!” Rōjin shouted. Jack wasn’t sure how he was going to accomplish this, but quickly got a dangerous idea. Taking off his robe, he balled it up and shoved it into the monster’s right nostril and climbed into its left one, blocking off its airway and forcing it to open its mouth to breathe. However the beast also started flailing its head wildly. 

“Rōjin, whatever you are going to do, please do it!” Jack shouted, hanging on for dear life. Rōjin continued to concentrate on the sun, when finally a bright beam of sunlight descended towards his hands. When it reached him, he flung his arms forward and shot the beam into the monster’s mouth. 

“Get out of there!” he shouted as Jack quickly grabbed his robe and hurried towards the raft. The sunlight continued blasting into the creature’s mouth until finally the beast exploded into a mess of green goop, which covered Jack and Rōjin, and knocked the Guardians back underwater. 

“Are you… _sure_ you needed me to protect you on this journey?” Jack asked sarcastically between heavy breaths. 

“Hey, that took a lot out of me!” Rōjin replied. “I can’t just blast sunlight at everything we come across.” The two wiped themselves off and continued rowing across the sea, the Guardians following a safe distance behind. Finally, the pair made landfall at the edge of a dense jungle, which Rōjin professed held the Hall of Time. When night fell, they decided to make camp in a clearing. Cooking some of Jack’s remaining food rations and a few fish they caught, Jack and Rōjin sat calmly in the light of their campfire. 

“So, tell me a bit about this girl.” Rōjin said, breaking the silence. “I know of her fate of course, but what was _she_ like?” 

“Ashi? She was the most perfect woman any man could ask for.” Jack said, his eyes watering. “Beautiful, kind, strong, smart, she was the kind of person whose company you never tire of, the kind of person you risk everything to protect.” 

“But ultimately you could not protect her, from her final fate.” Rōjin stated. 

“Yes, she unfortunately was dependent upon Aku’s existence.” Jack said. “I had considered this beforehand, but her and I both knew Aku had to die no matter what. When she did not immediately disappear, I thought maybe we had evaded the inevitable, but I suppose her demon blood simply held off the effects of time temporarily. I am praying with all my heart that this temple of yours can revive her.” 

“Jack, this temple has the power to give you anything you want.” Rojin assured him. “And if it can’t find it in _this_ timeline, it’ll pull it out of another.” 

“So, what about this friend of yours?” Jack smiled, changing the subject. Thinking about Ashi for too long was too much for him to bear. 

“Oh, him? He and I were quite close.” Rōjin said. “He was a good friend to me, a strong fighter, a sharp wit, and fiercely loyal to all those who treated him well. Unfortunately one day he was met with a foe he could not best, and fell unceremoniously.” 

“Was he killed by Aku?” Jack asked. 

“You could say that.” Rōjin said, looking at the ground, forlorn. 

“What was this man’s name?” Jack asked. “I may have known him.” Before Rōjin could answer, the campfire dulled down and began to die. 

“Drat this jungle wood.” A frustrated Rōjin said. “It burns much too quickly! Jack, would you be so kind as to go out and gather some more?” 

“Of course.” Jack said, standing up and disappearing into the jungle, leaving his companion to poke and prod at the remaining flames. From the bushes, Hikaru and his men watched with evil grins on their faces, ready to make their move. 

  


  


  


Meanwhile, a good distance away at sea, an armada of war ships was inbound for the jungle, led by the Emperor, who stood at the bow looking outward, eyes locked on the horizon. He was determined to stop his son from putting himself in any more danger. But, physiological needs also occupied his mind. 

“Mandarin, where is dinner!?” he shouted. “My men and I are starving!” An exhausted Mandarin slowly lifted himself up onto the deck of the ship, carrying a large fish in his claws as he flew, and dropped it on a pile of about twelve others. 

“I…I need to stop skipping leg day!” Mandarin said through panting. 

“Ah, excellent work duck.” The Emperor said. “You’re proving yourself quite useful, considering you work for the Guardians of Light.” 

“Yeah well, I think I might be a _former_ employee.” Mandarin said. “They’re not nice to me, and their methods are way too extreme.” 

“Wise choice on your part.” The Emperor said. “You know, my army could always use an eye in the sky, if you’re interested in reconnaissance work.” 

“It’d be an honor, your highness!” Mandarin said, standing up straight and offering an awkward salute. “So, I gotta ask ya’ something. I told you Jack and Rōjin were headed to the Hall of Time, but I never got a chance to tell you where it was. How’d you know where to go?”

The Emperor’s face grew solemn, and he stared off into the distance, the memories hurtful. “ _He_ showed me.” 

The Emperor recalled his imprisonment during Aku’s reign, how he and his wife were turned old and weak to prevent them from escaping, and how Aku’s minions would torture him mercilessly day in and day out. One in particular was especially sadistic. The Emperor recalled being burned, shocked, cut, and hit with rocks, all while this minion laughed a cruel laugh. All other minions appeared to only be following orders, but this one seemed to be enjoying it. One day, in the middle of a horrible torture session, Aku himself appeared. 

“Alright, alright, everybody back off!” the demon shouted, a wide grin on his face. “I think he’s had enough for now. So, ‘your majesty’, ready to surrender to my rule? Or do you still oppose me?” 

“I…will never…bow to you.” The weakened Emperor choked out. 

“That’s what you said yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.” Aku said, irritated. “You know, you really ought to think about mixing it up a little. This routine is starting to bore me.” 

“Master, do you want me to hurt him some more?” his sadistic minion asked gleefully. “Maybe this time I can take a limb off!” 

“No no, that’s quite alright.” Aku said. “It’s clear physical torture isn’t cutting it. Maybe it’s time for some mental torture!” Aku looked right into the Emperor’s eyes, and suddenly there was a flash of light. The Emperor was bombarded with horrible visions: his people slaughtered, his kingdom destroyed, the lifeless bodies of his wife and son impaled on pikes, himself being suspended by his wrists on meathooks, forced to watch it all. 

The Emperor was forced to witness all of this as though it were actually happening. Then, the visions took an unusual turn; he saw now himself escaping, recovering the sword, and slaying Aku. He saw himself journeying to the Hall of Time, unraveling Aku’s life thread, and tossing it into the abyss below, erasing him from existence. He saw the gods descend from the heavens and incinerate Aku in a blaze of holy light. For some reason, the demon was showing him various ways to defeat him.

“Sooooo…curious,” Aku asked a mentally exhausted Emperor. “Out of all the ways I showed you that I could be destroyed, which would you pick if you could?” 

“Why do you show me such things?” The Emperor asked. 

“Eh, it’s fun to show my victims various ways they could escape, that will _never happen_!” Aku replied. “Seeing the anguish in their eyes when they have hope dangled in front of them, only to snatch it away at the last second. That is amusing! Ahahahahahahahahaha! Come on, it’s a joke, laugh with me!” 

“My son will return here, and _he_ will be the one to destroy you!” The Emperor said defiantly. 

“Your son?” Aku asked, scratching his head in confusion. “I didn’t factor him into all this. I merely assumed he died in my initial attack! Ah well, let him come. What could he possibly do to me? Alright guys, I’ve had my fun. Resume!” As the demon disappeared, several of his minions (including the sadistic one) surrounded the Emperor and continued torturing him horribly. 

Back in the present, the Emperor was finishing his account of what happened to Mandarin. “When Aku showed me the Hall of Time, he laid out the exact path to follow to reach it, for he knew I would never escape his captivity to use it. But now, here we are, bound for the temple to save my son.” 

“Your highness, this minion you kept talking about.” Mandarin said. “Do you remember what he looked like?” 

The Emperor clenched his fist and his eyes watered at the question. “I will _never_ forget his face.” 

  


  


  


Meanwhile in the jungle, Jack was gathering up as much firewood as he could carry, chopping down low-hanging branches with his sword and collecting what had already fell. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a rustling noise nearby. Keeping still, Jack’s eyes darted left and right, and his ears hung on every hint of a noise. After a few seconds, Jack lowered his guard and resumed collecting firewood. 

“Hello Jack.” A voice quietly said behind him. Jack turned around to see Hikaru standing feet from him. The samurai quickly dropped the firewood, drew his sword, and pointed it at Hikaru. 

“You! What do you want?” Jack demanded. 

“Relax, relax. I mean you no harm.” Hikaru said, raising his hands. “I just wanted to talk to you.” 

“You will not stop me from reaching the Hall of Time!” Jack said. “It is the only way I will see Ashi again, and nothing will stand in my way, do you hear me?” 

“Of course, of course. I have no doubt you’ll fight your way to the temple, rescue the girl, and ride off into the sunset.” Hikaru mocked, rolling his eyes. “But I wanted to talk to you about Rōjin.” 

“Rōjin? What about him?” Jack asked. 

“Jack, as I told you in the cave, he can’t be trusted.” Hikaru explained. “He’s up to no good. He wants the Hall of Time’s powers to do horrible things, dreadful things!” 

“Rōjin has been nothing but kind to me this whole way.” Jack said. “He’s helping me save Ashi. I don’t believe your lies!” 

“Do you believe your sword?” Hikaru asked. This made Jack think: during their last fight, the sword would not penetrate Hikaru’s armor, yet during their battle with the sea monster, the sword did slice through Rōjin’s flesh. Jack always knew that the sword could only be used for good, and would not hurt those who are good. What if he was onto something? 

“Yes, you know don’t you?” Hikaru said. “You don’t need that traitor to reach the Hall, ‘tis in that direction there!” he pointed in a random direction, not sure if it was even right or not. 

“Thank you.” Jack said, walking past him without as much as another word. The deceitful mercenary crept back into the foliage to his compatriots, snickering. 

“Alright men, you two take care of Jack. But capture him alive!” Hikaru ordered. “As for me, I’m going to put an end to that old sorcerer once and for all!” 

Rōjin was still back at the campsite, using his magic to try and keep the dying fire lit, but having little luck. As the sky blackened and the breeze grew colder, the old man grew impatient. 

“What is taking him so long?” he whispered to himself. Soon, he saw a figure emerge from the trees at last; Rōjin was prepared to greet Jack, but instead found himself face-to-face with Hikaru, halberd in hand and a crazed look in his eyes. 

“This ends now, Rōjin!” he said. “You will not leave this forest alive!” 

Meanwhile, Jack continued through the jungle, shoving past leaves furiously. He was hurt that he’d possibly been betrayed this whole time, but was still determined to reach the temple. As he strolled through the darkness alone, he was accompanied by a vision of Ashi. 

“Jack, what are you doing?” she asked accusingly. “You’re seriously leaving Rōjin behind?” 

“You heard Hikaru, he is no good.” Jack said. “He conspires against me. I will not kill him, but I will not travel with him either.” 

“Hikaru’s lying, Jack!” Ashi said. “You have to go back!” 

“But, my sword…” Jack started. 

“Jack, if Hikaru’s word is so golden, why did he send you in the wrong direction?” she asked. 

“What? Then what _is_ the right direction?” Jack asked. When he turned to her for a response however, she was gone. “Ashi? Ashi!?” 

“Well well, what have we here?” A less friendly voice said from the darkness of the jungle. “Looks like we’ve caught us a samurai!” Before Jack could react, ropes flew out from the trees and wrapped around his body, constricting him tightly. While his minions dealt with Jack, Hikaru advanced on Rōjin, continuing to threaten him. 

“Why do you continue to interfere, boy?” Rōjin asked, aiming a lightning-filled palm at his attacker. 

“Because I know what you’re up to!” Hikaru replied. “I will not let you reach the Hall of Time! My men are dealing with the Samurai as we speak, and as for you, this place will be your tomb!” He raised his halberd over his head and thrust it towards Rōjin; the wizard blocked the strike with a magical shield and then blasted electricity at Hikaru, who held it back with his halberd. 

“Your magic is no match for me, wizard!” the mercenary said, pushing forward and knocking Rōjin off his balance. He used the point of his halberd to pull Rōjin’s amulet off his neck and swing it up to himself. 

“Now _I_ have the source of your power!” Hikaru said, placing the amulet around his own neck. “I am now the ultimate defender of good!” He leapt unnaturally high into the air and swung his halberd down on the ground hard. The now powerless Rōjin had no choice but to dodge as the weapon crashed to the ground with a thundering quake. Rōjin ran as fast as his old legs could carry him, but the superpowered warrior was hot on his tail. Hikaru swung his weapon through thick brush and sliced _through_ tree trunks like paper. Fortunately for Rōjin, he was surprisingly nimble and managed to evade the swings and eventually lose his attacker’s sight. 

“Where did you go?” Hikaru shouted angrily. “I _will_ find you!” Activating another of the amulet’s powers, his eyes glowed red, and he could now see the heat signatures of every living thing in the jungle. Finally, he spotted a short, hunched figure crouched behind a rock. He plunged his halberd through the rock, just above Rōjin’s head. Thinking quickly, the old man grabbed two sticks and began furiously rubbing them together as he ran. Once a flame ignited, he threw the sticks down into the brush, which instantly caught fire. 

Hikaru was disoriented by the flames, which rendered his heat vision obsolete. His eyes were bombarded with red and purple in all directions; frustrated, he produced a wind in both hands and pushed it towards the fire, extinguishing it. However, Rōjin had managed to climb up into the trees above, safe for now. 

“Jack, where are you?” he asked himself. 

Jack was dealing with adversity of his own at the moment. The Guardians of Light that had roped him had begun pulling him towards them eagerly. 

“You’re coming with us to the kingdom, Samurai!” one of them said. “This is for your own good!” Jack, disagreeing, furiously pulled in the opposite direction, yanking the rope out of the Guardians’ hands and knocking them to the ground. He then unraveled himself, drew his sword, and pointed it at them. 

“So, that’s how it’s going to be?” one of them said as the pair drew their weapons: one had a two-sided battleaxe, the other a chigiriki. The two charged at Jack, swinging their weapons at him in succession; Jack parried the flurry of blows and backed up. Finally, as his blade collided with the axe, he swiftly kicked it out of the wielder’s hands, jumped into the air, and spin-kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. 

The chigiriki-wielder swung his weapon next, however Jack managed to wrap the chain around his sword and pull the weapon away from the man. Jack punched him in the jaw and he fell next to his accomplice, dizzied. 

“You are defeated.” Jack said calmly, his sword aimed right at their faces. “Now please, let me pass.” 

“Not a chance.” One of the Guardians chuckled. Jack noticed the man was holding onto a vine that had fell onto the forest floor, and the other end of that vine happened to be around his ankle. The warrior pulled on the vine, knocking him on his back. The Guardians picked up their weapons and ran towards Jack; the samurai leapt to his feet and continued to battle the two men. Suddenly in the distance, several powerful beams of light shot into the air, incinerating the trees they passed through and shaking the ground with their thunderous sound. Four or five of these blasted into the sky before finally subsiding. Jack wondered as to the nature of these beams, but his attackers seemed not to care and continued fighting. Jack was cornered and almost out of breath; the two Guardians advanced on him, ready to finally end this. 

“Please don’t take this any further.” One of them said. “The boss told us not to kill you, but you’re making that increasingly difficult.” Jack knew he had to find a way to beat them. Quickly darting his eyes around behind him, he saw something that may aid him: a large beehive. Discreetly backing towards the hive, Jack casually held out his sword. 

“I will never surrender to you.” He stated. “The only way to stop me, is to kill me.” 

“Well then so be it.” The two men charged towards Jack, shouting at the top of their lungs. At the last second, Jack jumped out of the way, causing the men to charge face-first into the beehive, smashing it and angering the bees inside. 

“Ahh! Get them off! Get them off!” The Guardians shouted as the angry insects swarmed around their heads. The men flailed and panicked, finally running away into the jungle, the bees giving chase. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, finally rid of his attackers. But his peace was interrupted by an unexpected vision of Ashi. 

“Jack! You have to go back and help Rōjin!” she said in a frantic tone. “Hikaru’s going to kill him! He’s that way!” The vision quickly disappeared. The persistence of Ashi to vouch for Rōjin combined with the Guardians’ obvious ruthlessness convinced Jack that perhaps him leaving his guide was a mistake, and that maybe, for the first time, his sword was wrong in its judgment. Without wasting another second, Jack took off in the direction Ashi pointed. 

  


  


  


Rōjin wasn’t entirely sure how much longer he could hide from Hikaru. But fortunately his attacker seemed to have lost his trail. He also noticed something: up in the trees with him were groups of monkeys, parrots, and other assorted animals. If Hikaru was using his heat vision again, it may be difficult for him to distinguish the shape of Rōjin from the shape of these clustered animals. While his enemy was confused, he decided to use it to toy with Hikaru. 

“Are you only going to use my powers to enhance your _physical_ abilities?” Rōjin said, throwing his voice so that it echoed from all directions. “How very uninspired.” 

“You want magic?” Hikaru growled. “I’ll show you MAGIC!” he pointed his halberd at the canopy and a large energy beam blasted out of it, burning through the trees and shooting into the night sky. 

“Your power is sloppy and unfocused.” Rōjin taunted. “Your impulsive nature and inexperience keep you from using it properly.” 

“Shut up!” Hikaru shouted, blasting the tops of the trees four other time in other directions, each time causing a group of monkeys or birds to flee for dear life. “Where are you?” 

“I’m right here, Hikaru.” Rōjin said. Hikaru spun around to see Rōjin approaching him, arms outstretched and a defeated look on his face. “You want me, you have me. Now, take me back to the kingdom and end this.” 

“Oh no. You’re too dangerous to be left alive!” He said, an insane look on his face. “I’m ending this here and now!” 

“That’s what I hoped you’d say.” Rōjin muttered under his breath. Hikaru’s halberd lit up yellow, and he raised it to shoot a beam at his prisoner, but before he could, Rōjin grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it in Hikaru’s eyes. With his opponent temporarily blinded, the old wizard jumped onto his chest and made a grab for the amulet. When he touched it, it illuminated for a brief moment. 

Wherever you are Jack, Rōjin thought, please come back to me! Rōjin tugged with all his might to take the amulet, but a defiant Hikaru smacked him off and he landed on his stomach, the impact knocking the wind out of him. With a primal shout, Hikaru once again conjured an energy beam and blasted it at Rōjin; as the old man closed his eyes and braced for impact, he heard the beam collide with something, something that sounded like metal. He opened his eyes to see Jack standing over him, blocking the attack with his sword. 

“You have interfered with justice for the last time, Samurai!” Hikaru shouted, intensifying his blast and causing the sword to glow red with heat. 

“Rōjin, get the amulet!” Jack said. Seizing his opportunity, Rōjin quietly darted behind Hikaru, leapt on his back, and pulled the amulet off of his neck. Regaining his power, the wizard erupted in a rage, lifting a visibly frightened Hikaru into the air and slamming him into trees.

“Rōjin, stop!” Jack said, but he didn’t listen. With a final, loud shout, Rōjin threw Hikaru into a very thick tree limb, breaking his back and sending his lifeless body to the ground. 

“You…killed him!” Jack said in a shaky voice. 

“It had to be done.” Rōjin assured him. “He was not going to stop until either he died, or we did. Thank you for coming back for me, but why did you leave in the first place?” 

“Hikaru, Hikaru got in my head.” Jack said in a guilty tone. “He told me that my sword cut into you because you were evil, and refused to attack him because he was good.” 

“Tisk, tisk. Another lie courtesy of the Guardians of Light.” Rōjin explained. “You see my dear boy, Hikaru and his men wear what’s known as Divine Armor, meaning it was forged in the very heavens by the gods. Since it is of holy make, it is considered a grave sin to damage it, thus why your sword would not penetrate it. Such a fact is used by the Guardians to win their battles easier, as it discourages their enemies from attacking them. I have no qualms against it, as I’ve committed so many sins in my life that it scarce matters. Perhaps that’s why your blade cut me, it detected the soul of a sinner.” 

“Hey, none of that matters.” Jack said, placing a hand on Rōjin’s shoulder. “What matters is who you are _now_. And now, you are doing a noble thing.” 

“Thanks Jack.” Rōjin smiled. “Now come, let us try to find the campsite again and get some rest, while there is still night left.” 

  


  


  


As the sun peeked over the horizon, the Emperor and his army finally made landfall at the jungle. He stepped off the ship, followed by Mandarin and the rest of the soldiers. 

“Mandarin, fly ahead to the Hall of Time and see if you can spot Jakku. If so, return to us along the path.” The Emperor commanded. “As for the rest of you, come with me. We have no time to waste.” 

I pray we are not too late, the Emperor thought, if they enter that temple, all will be lost. 

Miles away, Jack and Rōjin had risen early and were making decent progress through the jungle. 

“So, fifty years and you never aged a day?” Rōjin asked. “How exactly was that a bad thing?” 

“When you live in Aku’s world, every day is torture.” Jack said. “There were so many times when I wished I could just grow old and die, and no longer be subject to my enemy’s wrath.” 

“And now that you’re back here, you think it’s worn off?” Rōjin asked. 

“Yes, I believe when Ashi sent me here, coming back through the portal again undid my inability to age.” Jack stated. “I do not know what it is, but somehow I _feel_ as though my body has aged by, I believe a week? And you know what, I’m perfectly content with that.” 

“Jack, look!” Rōjin cut him off and pointed forward. Jack’s eyes widened as he gazed upon an enormous stone building with several spires jutting upward; a large statue of a monkey holding an hourglass protruded from the front, staring them down. 

“Jack, I give you the Hall of Time.” Rōjin declared. “Inside of that temple, both of our fates will change.” 

**To be continued…**


End file.
